SLUCare Adult Psychiatry Services

SLUCare psychiatrists provide emergency, outpatient, inpatient and consultation services
for adults in need of mental health evaluation and treatment at SSM Health Saint Louis
University Hospital. Similar services are provided to veterans at the John Cochran
Veteran's Affairs Medical Center.

We also treat adults who have medical or neurological disorders, injuries or physical
disabilities that limit their functionality or lead to troubled emotions.

Evaluation and Therapies

A thorough evaluation by a mental health professional is the first step toward diagnosing
psychiatric problems. Our evaluation consists of an in-depth interview with you, and
often with those closest to you. Special medical evaluations, laboratory tests or
X-ray studies may be performed to further clarify your diagnosis, and so our psychiatrists
are able to formulate a personalized treatment plan.

In most instances, treatments are offered on an outpatient basis and often consist
mainly of psychotherapy, psychiatric medications or a combination of those methods.
If necessary, patients may be admitted to a partial hospitalization program or to
a full inpatient unit for more intensive treatment. SLUCare psychiatrists offer:

Group and family therapy — This may be the primary treatment for certain people, or can be offered in addition
to individual therapy. Including your partner or family in your therapy can be a powerful
tool, while group therapy can offer mutual insights and support.

Psychiatric medications — These can be extremely effective in controlling the major symptoms of a host of mental
disorders and may be the mainstay of treatment in many situations. In other instances,
these medications can enable and facilitate your therapy or other treatment.

Electroconvulsive therapy — ECT can be administered, with your consent, during the course of hospitalization
or on an outpatient basis. These treatments are performed in the hospital with anesthesia.

Programs and Services

The Adult Inpatient Treatment Program offers respite from overwhelming environmental
stresses and an opportunity for intensive treatment. Every patient is part of a carefully
designed and individualized treatment plan administered by a trained multidisciplinary
professional staff. Both individual and group treatments are used, along with a range
of therapeutic and psycho-educational activities throughout the day. Whenever possible,
families are encouraged to visit and meet with staff members.

Unless physically ill, people in this program are out of bed and mobile during the
day. Most patients have private rooms and eat in a group dining room on the unit.
Laundry facilities and recreational activities are available. Before the end of a
patient's hospitalization, our treatment team will help implement a discharge plan
for their continuing care.

The Outpatient Clinic provides treatment for individuals and their families and partners.
Depending on each patient's needs, treatment may take the form of individual sessions
with physicians and therapists, group therapy sessions and/or family and couples therapy
sessions.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of outpatient psychotherapy that teaches
patients to modify patterns of thinking, behaving and reacting emotionally. It is
clinically proven as an effective treatment for:

Depression

Phobias

Panic disorder

Social anxiety

Generalized anxiety disorder

Insomnia

Obsessive compulsive disorder

Eating disorders

Other psychiatric problems

Dr. Suma Chand directs the SLUCare Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Program, helping patients develop the
skills to deal with real life situations, while also gaining symptom relief. Treatment
occurs over 8-20 weeks — or more, if needed — with the goal of empowering patients
to become their own lifelong therapists.

The SLUCare CBT Program is a regional clinic of the National Social Anxiety Center, an organization dedicated to increasing patient access to cutting-edge treatment
for social anxiety.

If your insurance carrier does not cover CBT, you may be eligible for free psychotherapy
services with SLU School of Medicine psychiatry residents, supervised by Dr. Chand.

The Consultation-Liaison Service is available around the clock for hospitalized patients
who suffer psychiatric symptoms due to medical illness, or due to an emotional reaction
either to being ill or to factors independent of the medical illness.

For an appointment, referral or questions about SLUCare's psychiatric services for
adults, call 314-977-4440.